Applied Tech Solutions -November 2006

November 2006
In this issue...

Serving Up Security
Staying Compliant
Threat Landscape
Wireless Solutions
Cool Tools
Employee Spotlight

Special Points
of Interest

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Employee Spotlight

Nick Schielke
Relationship Manager

Like so many bright, young people with entrepreneurial spirit, Nick got his start by spending every waking moment in front of his PC while growing up in Madison, Wisconsin. Having taught himself everything from hardware to software, programming to networking, Nick headed to UW-Whitewater to gain a BBA in Marketing and a minor in Computer Science. Nick then proceeded to move back to Madison in pursuit of his dream:
to provide technical solutions for local businesses.

It wasn't long before Applied Tech recognized Nick's talent and snatched up this ambitious young man. His energetic personality and knowledgeable sales approach has made him a wonderful new addition to Applied Tech's Relationship Management Team. In his free time Nick enjoys playing tennis competitively through the USTA. Nick looks forward to growing with Applied Tech and to exceeding the expectations of new clients. He says, "I can't imagine doing anything else."
Nick can be reached at schilke@appliedtech.us

Madison Office
Applied Tech Solutions, Inc.
203 South Paterson Street,
Suite 500
Madison, WI 53703
Ph: 608.257.6051
info@appliedtech.us

Stevens Point Office
Applied Tech Solutions, Inc.
1313 Second Street
Stevens Point, WI 54481
Ph: 715-344-3703
info@appliedtech.us

Serving Up Security
Learn what you can do to protect your server environment in your small business.

Servers are the workhorse of many small business' IT systems. A server is a computer that processes requests for data such as email, file transfers, web documents, and services from the client computers that are connected to it through a network. There are several different types of servers, including application servers, database servers, file servers, and web servers. Since servers host valuable information, they are often the targets of threats. Your business' email and file servers are vulnerable to viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and DoS (denial–of-service) attacks. Also, hackers can shut down or disable a server to prevent a business from running its operations. If your business is a victim of a server security breach, you could lose valuable time and money since your client machines are dependent on the servers for a variety of purposes, ranging from applications to email.

Recommendations: Here are some steps you can take to protect your servers:

How to Stay Compliant with Strong Security
Learn security measures you can take to help your business meet regulations and stay compliant.

Regulatory mandates require compliance. Here are some security measures you can take to help your business meet regulations and stay compliant:

Establish Information Security: Information is an important asset for any business. Many regulations require businesses to show what controls are in place to ensure proper management practices. It's important to establish policies for how information--including customer data, client records, and confidential information--is handled. Protecting confidential information and financial and accounting records is also important. You should consider using password protection for important documents and files, as well as monitoring user access logs, especially if questions arise at a later time regarding any unexpected changes to information or data theft.

Maintain Integrity: Data integrity is an important part of many regulations. One way to maintain integrity involves storing original versions of important documents and data for auditing purposes. You should also maintain an access log so that you will know what changes were made, when, and by whom.

What's on the Threat Landscape?
Find out what's happening in today's security threat landscape and what measures you can take to protect your business from these threats.

The tenth volume of the Symantec Internet Security Threat Report was released in September 2006 and discusses the threat environment from January 1 to June 30, 2006. Each Report provides a comprehensive view of the Internet threat environment for a six month period, and is a culmination of analysis based on data collected by 1,600 dedicated security analysts around the world. Learning about the threat landscape is important, because it arms you with the knowledge you need to protect your business.

The Threat Landscape
According to the Report, the threat landscape has shifted from widespread and unfocused Internet worms to targeted attacks aimed at specific companies, with the intent of gathering confidential data for the purpose of fraud and criminal activity. The Report also revealed that cybercriminals tended to focus on targeting client-side applications in the first six months of 2006. Here are some additional Report findings:

Top targeted sectors
The Threat Report breaks down targeted attacks by sector, monitoring a total of ten separate sectors. According to the latest Report, the small business sector was the ninth most targeted sector between January 1 and June 30, 2006. In the six months prior to that period, the small business sector was the fourth most targeted sector. This positive change may be a reflection of increased security measures, and continued progress in security technology implementation by small businesses may help this sector maintain its more secure status.

Working Smarter With Wireless Solutions
Does the mention of wireless LANs, WWANs
and hotspots make your brain go numb?

If so, you're not alone. Despite the confusion surrounding these new technologies, they offer distinct advantages. Let's look at how wireless solutions might fit your company.

Unchain Your Staff
When your associates exchange e-mails, modify shared files, or access networked printers, they're using your company's local area network (LAN). Of course, that means desktops and peripherals are hard-wired into the network.

To compliment the traditional LAN and increase productivity, many companies now add wireless LANs (WLANs), which allow employees to access the company network via mobile devices while away from their desks. The relatively inexpensive technology works with your existing LAN and includes the strategic placement of wireless routers and access points around the office to ensure full signal coverage. To tap into the WLAN, users' laptops must be equipped with WLAN cards.

Businesses such as laboratories and warehouses are good candidates for WLANs because their employees must roam freely to complete their tasks. WLANs are also effective in office environments, since many employees need to leave their workstations for extended periods.